Valentia Night Revive Retinol Serum

I love skincare formulas that actually work. Retinoids are among the relatively few ingredients that are proven to live up to the hype. Almost anyone can benefit from retinol/retinal, retinyl palmitate, or tretinoin. (If you’re pregnant or breastfeeding, talk to your doc first, though!)

Valentia Night Revive Retinol Serum is purported to diminish wrinkles, stimulate collagen, improve skin tone, manage breakouts, and condition skin. Active ingredients include retinol, a form of Vitamin A, that helps with acne, discoloration, and wrinkles, as well as Vitamin C, which helps protect against free-radicals and premature aging. Vitamin E helps hydrate the skin and counter dryness, and olive-derived squalane helps soften and condition the skin.

Valentia Night Revive Retinol Serum is housed in a translucent brown dropper bottle. As antioxidants are prone to degradation and being rendered ineffective when exposed to air or light, the brown bottle is a good thing (Kaur, Kapila & Agrawal, 2007). However, I do wish the bottle had a pump mechanism rather than a dropper. When repeatedly taking the dropper out, the ingredients become exposed to air. However, the advantage with the dropper is that it’s easier to see how much product you’re withdrawing.

The serum is almost a gel-like consistency, which is nice. Retinol can be irritating, so I like that it’s not going to easily drip all over. It spreads and absorbs easily, and doesn’t feel greasy. It works well under other skincare products, too. Just make sure not to use this during the day, as your skin will become even more prone to UV damage; and be sure to wear a sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher.

While most people don’t have major issues, I should also let you know that retinol can be irritating at first, and that’s normal. Redness, peeling, etc., are all possible, but don’t let that scare you! As collagen is stimulated, the skin sheds its outer most layer. This is how it helps with the signs of aging, and with acne, too!

Since my skin is accustomed to retinoids from using Retin-A, I didn’t experience any irritation with this serum. If you’re new to retinol, start off slowly and do a patch test first to see how your skin will react. Then use once every few nights, and gradually move up to using every night. By starting off slowly, your skin will be less likely to get dried out or irritated.

Overall, Valentia Night Revive Retinol Serum is a very good product if you’re looking to stave off the signs of aging or acne. Plus, you can’t beat the price of $35.00! It’s available at Amazon.